Transformations in the agricultural landscape of Arequipa: terraced fields, land redistribution, and indigenous population in the early colonial period

Delgado F.M.Z.; Palomino P.R.L.; Moscoso J.M.L.; Díaz R.O.M. · Historia Regional (2026)

Resumen

This study examines the spatial organization of pre-Hispanic settlements in the Arequipa region during the early colonial period, with a particular emphasis on the agricultural landscape before the Spanish conquest. Challenging prevailing assumptions of a demographically stable indigenous presence, the research identifies a predominance of itinerant communities. Drawing upon archaeological evidence and ethnohistorical documentation, including colonial ordinances and visitation records, the study demonstrates that both agricultural zones and indigenous social structures experienced profound alterations under Spanish colonial administration. These transformations encompassed the reconfiguration of terraced agricultural systems (andenerías) and the redistribution of land. The findings suggest a notable disjunction between indigenous population patterns and the region’s agricultural capacity, concluding that the settlements, primarily associated with the Collaguas, Condesuyos, and Mitma groups from Cusco, were characterized by transient habitation and a subsistence-oriented economic model.